RFK Jr. suspends campaign, backs Trump; what it means in Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE - Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump on Friday – but he's not bowing out of the race.
Kennedy said he will remove his name from the ballot in swing states where his name could siphon away voters from Trump. Ballot access for Kennedy and others is set for a Wisconsin Elections Commission vote next week.
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The Wisconsin Elections Commission said it doesn't have a process to take back a ballot access filing, so it's possible Kennedy could still remain on the battleground state's ballot.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Latest poll
Early on in his campaign, Kennedy's support was in the double digits. That has sunk to single digits in recent polls.
Kennedy held a rambling press conference on Friday, during which he derided the media, the Democratic Party, and efforts to keep him off the ballot.
"I don’t want this to sound like a personal complaint, because it’s not," Kennedy said.
Marquette poll: Trump leads Harris among registered Wisconsin voters
Former President Trump narrowly leads Kamala Harris among registered Wisconsin voters in the latest Marquette Law School Poll, released Wednesday.
A Marquette University Law School poll earlier this month had Kennedy with 8% of the vote, well behind Democratic nominee Kamala Harris with 45% and Trump with 43%.
"The endorsement probably means Trump gets a Kennedy bump," said Mordecai Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor emeritus.
After Kennedy's news conference, relatives from his storied political family called his endorsement of Trump a "betrayal" and a "sad ending" to a "sad story."
Election impact
Third-party candidates have played roles in outcomes of prior elections.
Both Biden and Trump won Wisconsin by roughly 20,000 votes in 2020 and 2016, respectively.
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"Twenty thousand votes, out of three million votes cast, is nothing," Lee said. "A libertarian might get, say, 2%. A Green Party candidate might get 2%. They may well swing the election from one party to the other."
Lee said Kennedy's campaign became a liability for Trump, as his support came from more potential Trump voters. His endorsement could play a role in the election's outcome.